WORLAND - Marilyn Lane of Worland was appointed as the State of Wyoming Elks president on May 21 at the state convention in Worland.

Being the state president entails travelling to Montana and Colorado for their state meetings as well as attending the Grand Lodge session in Houston. Lane will also be travelling to all 16 lodges throughout Wyoming.

Lane said her biggest job is to promote Elkdom and help with the projects that the Elks Lodge has. The Elks projects include; drug awareness, hoop shoot, soccer shoot, and the Americanism contest. The Americanism contest is an essay contest in which fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth graders write on a topic about Americanism. Four students from Worland have entered in the state contest and are moving to the next level.

The Elks also locally donate $3,500 to scholarships. They donate to support the troops, Worland, Ten Sleep and Thermopolis Senior Centers, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H in Worland, Thermopolis and Ten Sleep and the rescue squad. The Worland Elks also donated money to the Ten Sleep Fire Department to help rebuild their facilities.

The states major project is called W.E.S.T. and its a fund for needy children. This fund has helped with the backpack program, which provides backpacks to students in need, donated to the Children's Learning Center, and bought school clothes for children that dont have a lot of clothes or winter clothing. It has also provided new clothes for children if there is a fire.

Lane said, "It's exciting to see the amount of money that we donate. Our grand lodge has budgeted $28.8 million that will help children in scholarships, veterans and elderly. We are the second largest donor in the US and the first is the government. We are pretty proud of that.

"My goal for the state is to increase membership. We have 7,000 members in the state over 16 lodges and 532 members in Worland. With the economy, it's harder for people to pay their dues. My goal is to help get people who have paid their dues reinstated for our lodge to increase membership."

She added, "The more members, the more we can help people."

Starting as a volunteer

Lane has been involved with the Elks since she was a young child, as her father was an Elks member. She continued to be involved with the Elks with her first husband who serves as the secretary for the Worland Elks Lodge.

For 23 years, Lane has volunteered to cook at the Elks and has also become an honorary founder of the Worland Elks Lodge.

Twelve years ago Lane wanted to become more directly involved with the Elks Foundation and became an official member. Throughout the last 12 years Lane has served in several different positions.

She started as a loyal knight who is the second vice president, moved to leading knight and then served two terms as exalted ruler in the Worland Elks Lodge.

Lane was then appointed as district deputy by votes from past district deputies and was authorized by the State Sponsor Dwayne Rumney from Wilmer, Minn. who was the grand exalted ruler.

She worked her way from third vice president to first vice president until becoming the state president in 2016.

The Worland Elks Lodge has only had two state presidents, Arnold Broke and Elmer Nelson. It has been 42 years since Nelson and Lane is the first woman in the Worland Lodge to become state president and the second woman in the state to hold that position. Lane was also the first woman in the Worland Lodge and in the state to be district deputy.